Mammoth Cave National Park


Who would have thought that so much of Mammoth Cave National Park lies above ground? Sure enough, it does. Like Wind Cave National Park, there is much more to this place above ground that meets the eye. And on a really nice day, who wants to be in a cave anyway? The answer in this case was me, since it would be silly to visit a Cave and not go in. Fortunately, this cave is quite easy to access from the visitors center. And the “Mammoth Passage Tour” doesn’t sell advance tickets, so if you are a walk-in, this is a good bet.

The tour we took a few years ago brought us through a good portion of the cave, and even had a stop for snacks at an underground snack shop kind of place, that even had restrooms. Now I see that the only tour that stops in the lunch room is the 4+ hour tour, so something must have changed, since I’m pretty sure I’d remember if our tour was that long. But if you have the time, it’s worth it to take the “grand avenue tour” which includes that stop in the “Snowball Room”.

As cave tours go (and I’ve been most of the NPS ones), this is the largest, grandest, and most awe inspiring. Worth a visit!

My favorite things to do here

  • Cave Tours

Things I want to come back to do

  • Above ground trails

Fun Facts

  • Over 365 miles of passageways in the cave system

National Park Service Website: http://www.nps.gov/maca/

NPS Map: http://home.nps.gov/applications/hafe/hfc/carto-detail.cfm?Alpha=maca